Masaaki Suzuki - J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations (1997)

While one might reasonably prefer this, that or the other recording of Bach's "Goldberg" Variations, one should still take the time to listen to this 1997 recording of the work played on the harpsichord by Masaaki Suzuki on BIS. For one thing, Suzuki is the conductor of BIS' series of Bach Cantata recordings and it is interesting to hear what he can do on his own without other musicians as intermediaries. For another thing, Suzuki is a fine harpsichordist in his own right: his performance is technically irreproachable, and interpretatively, his performance has something individual to say about the work. To wit, Bach's Variations are a lot wittier and a lot funnier than listeners were led to believe by generations of German keyboard players. And for one more thing, Suzuki's performance is on BIS, which means that the sound of the recording is clear, warm, and honest as humanly imaginable.